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Tuesday, 31 July 2012

Oil subsidy fraud: More marketers arraigned

Lamorde, EFCC Boss

Monday July
30, 2012: More marketers indicted in the oil subsidy scam have been arraigned by
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before a Lagos High Court
sitting in Ikeja. Those arraigned before Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo include
Oluwaseun Ogunbambo, Habila Theck and Fargo Petroleum and Gas Limited.

One of them,
Olugbenga Adesanya, was, however, not arraigned alongside others as, according
to EFCC, he is "still at large". The arraigned persons and company were
among the 17 oil marketers and seven oil companies indicted in the fuel subsidy
fraud by the House of Representatives committee.

They were
arraigned on a six-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining money by
false pretense, forgery and use of false documents. Initially, the charge sheet
carried seven counts but one of the prosecuting counsel, Mr Francis Usani,
applied to the court to drop one of the charges.

According to
the charge sheet, the offenses are contrary to section 8 and punishable under
section 1 (1)(2)(3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences
Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria. The offences, the commission further
stated, are contrary to sections 363 and 364 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos
State of Nigeria No 11, Laws of Lagos State 2011.

The
anti-graft agency also alleged that the defendants and the oil company"on or about February 10, 2012, with
intent to defraud, conspiredto
fraudulently obtain N976,653,110.28from
the Federal Government of Nigeria by falsely representing that the said sum
represented subsidy accruing on importation of 13,627,084 litres of Premium
Motor Spirit(PMS) purportedly purchased from Sealac Petroleum Limited and
imported into Nigeria through MT Diplomat Ex mT Milleura, which representation
they knew to be false."

EFCC also
alleged that the accused and the oil company “on the 14th day of October, 2011
at Lagos and within Ikeja judicial division, with intent to defraud and in
order to facilitate your obtaining money by false pretense from the Federal
Government of Nigeria, under the Petroleum Support Fund, forged a document
entitled ‘Certificate of Origin, Port of Loading Antwerp Belgium’ dated the
14th day of October, 2011, purporting the document to have been issued by
Seatac Petroleum Limited.”

The
defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to each of the six-count charge and
their counsel, Mr Babajide Koku (SAN), applied to the court for bail.